EU leaders agree Brexit talks guidelines

BRUSSELS: European Union leaders laid the bottom Friday for the following section of Brexit talks after British Prime Minister Theresa May recommended them to grab a "new dynamic" within the negotiations.

The 27 leaders assembly in Brussels followed negotiating pointers for talks at the long run courting with Britain and licensed a deal for a 21-month transition length.

"We are today making a decisive step in these difficult and extraordinary negotiations," the bloc's Brexit negotiator, Michel Barnier, mentioned as he arrived for the summit talks.

"On this basis we will begin discussions with the UK for this future partnership which must respect the principles and the identity of the EU and the single market."

Britain is leaving the EU in March 2019, however negotiators this week agreed a transition deal that successfully maintains the connection -- although London will don't have any vote casting rights - until December 2020.

Britain's May, who attended the summit ahead of leaving early Friday when the talks turned to Brexit, welcomed the approval, announcing the transition deal brought "certainty".

"I believe there's a new dynamic now in the negotiations," she informed newshounds as she left.

"I believe we are approaching this with a spirit of cooperation, a spirit of opportunity for the future as well."

However, there are some key problems that also want to be resolved as a part of the settlement that ended in the transition deal, particularly the future of the Irish border after Brexit.

The EU pointers say that "negotiations can only progress as long as all commitments undertaken so far are respected in full".

They call for "intensified efforts" at the outstanding parts of the divorce, including: "Nothing is agreed until everything is agreed."

Britain is leaving the EU's single marketplace and customs union, but the prospect of recent border tests between Northern Ireland and EU-member Ireland have sparked concerns concerning the fragile peace at the island.

The EU and Britain have agreed a "backstop" that Northern Ireland would stay a part of the EU's customs union if there is not any better concept - however London is deeply adverse to this.

Just weeks previous May had mentioned no British premier could ever settle for such an idea, which might intended chopping off Northern Ireland from the rest of the British financial system.

She mentioned on Friday: "We will now be sitting down and determining those workable solutions for Northern Ireland but also for our future security partnership and economic partnership."

Irish premier Leo Varadkar, who met May at the sidelines of the summit on Thursday, mentioned he envisaged a trading courting that used to be "so close that many of measures in the backstop may become unnecessary".

Days ahead of the summit, EU President Donald Tusk had raised fears that some countries would no longer back the plan, with Spain particularly expressing concerns concerning the fate of the British territory of Gibraltar.

But he later introduced that he had "good news" for May and officials mentioned that Madrid have been placated via the addition of a special mention of Gibraltar within the pointers.

May secured a diplomatic victory on Thursday after securing unanimous EU backing for Britain's review that Russia used to be "highly likely" liable for a nerve agent attack on an ex-spy within the English city of Salisbury.